Conventional commercially published book manuscripts, for example, between 50,000 and 100,000 words (they can be shorter or larger), in the form of text only, have historically been a successful source of entertainment for many adults and older children. Typically, these books include both fiction of various genres and non-fiction works. However, a significant portion of the population, for various reasons, does not enjoy reading such conventional books for entertainment.
Also, some books, primarily children's books and comic books, including the new action/adventure comics, combine illustrations which correspond to and enhance the text. However, such works tend to be relatively short and in many cases unsophisticated. While in some cases they are engrossing, they do not have the substantial plot and/or character development found in traditional longer works. A large portion of the adult population will not purchase such books for their own use.
Audio books are also known, referred to generally as books on tape, in which the actual text of a book is read by an experienced, skilled reader. Books on tape include many well known commercial books. Books on tape appeal to a rather small portion of the population, and do not involve any illustrations, thus being similar to plain text in that regard. Further, the selection of available books in audio form is quite limited.
In the present invention, several different media are brought together to form a new combined media product, which retains the length and richness of a traditional book. The invention can, however, be used for shorter books as well, including instructional books and similar materials.